Surface condensing plant for steam-locomotives



C. KOHLER.

SURFACE conmzusma PLANT FOR STEAM LOCOMOTIVES.

APPLICATION FILED, AUG. 1, 1919.

m w W W 6 m M M W m m m m N fi/i/ w/m/ ow m- E UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CONRAD KOHLER, OF ZURICH, SWITZERLAND.

SURFACE CONDENSING PLANT FOR STEAM-LOCOMOTIVES. 7

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Au 30, 19 21.

Application filed August 1, 191 9. Serial No. 3114,6952.

7 to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a surface con- (lensing plant for steam locomotives. According to this invention the exhaust steam of the steam driven power engine is condensed in a surface condenser arranged at the front end of the locomotive, and the water required for the'cond'ensing is recooled in a contrivance arranged behind the locomotive by means of the current of air produced in consequence of the traveling speed of the locomotive. Preferably, the recooling contrivance of the plant is arranged on a tender coupled to the locomotive.

Several attempts have already been made to provide steam locomotives'working condensing. One of the greatest difliculties that has to be overcome in such a case is the removal of the heat still contained in the steam when the latter leaves the power engine (which may be either a piston engine or a steam turbine) in order to obtaina sufiiciently high vacuum. When the steam is condensed by means of cooling water, the difiiculty to be overcome lies in the cooling down of the water heated by the steam to its initial temperature. It has already been proposed to provide re-cooling contrivances either in front or on both sides of the locomotive in order that the air current produced in consequence of the traveling speed ,of the locomotive may be directly used for the re-coolingof the water. In order to obtain however in such a case an adequate recooling action the device provided for this purpose must be designed of large size. When such a device is then mounted inthe front of the locomotive, the driver cannot properly see what is occurring along the track, while, when such a device is mounted sidewise of the locomotive, a relatively small cross-section has to be chosen for this device owing to the prescribed profiles, so that the device would have to be designed of a too great length andwould obstruct the greatest part of the longitudinal side ofthe locomotive. These drawbacks are remedied by the present invention. According to the latter a surface condenser, the water of condensatlon of WlllCll can be again supplied to the boiler, arranged at the front end of the locomotive, c'. 6., in the immediate proximity of the'steam engine, so that the ex haust steam of this engine has only to flow through a short distance in order to pass into the condenser and no great drop of pres sure is required for moving this steam; The cooling water becoming heated in the surface condenser is then forced into a re-cooling contrivance arranged behind the locomotive,

where'sufiicient space is present for arrang- 1 ing such adevice of the required size and where the required amount of cooling air can be supplied to said device and carried off from it. The whole arrangement presome particularly great advantages when the re-cooling contrivanceis mounted on a special tender coupled to the locomotive. Such a tender can be combined with the coal tender.

This invention will now bemore particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawing illustrating by way of example one mode of carrying it out.

Referring to this drawing, 1 denotes a locomotive onthe front end of which is provided a surface condenser'2. The exhaust steam of the steam cylinder 3 flows through the pipe 4 into said condenser 2. The c0ndensed steam is drawn off through a pipe 5 by a pump not illustrated in the drawing; To the rear end of the locomotive 1 is coupled a tender 6' on which is provided the re-cooling contrivance. The tender contains a small water reservoir or tank 7. A pump 10 driven by an auxiliary turbine 9 draws off water from said reservoir through the pipe 8 and presses said water through the pipe 11 into the surface condenser 2. This water flows back through the pipe 12. andit is forced through the pipe 14' into an upper reservoir 15 by a pump 13 also driven by the auxiliary turbine 9. From said reservoir 15 the water can fall downward in a finely divided state. Hereby it comes in contact" with the current of air produced in conse quence of the travelingspeed of the locomotive,so that it is cooled. To this endthe air passes at 16 intoya channelprovided for this purpose and it leaves said channel at 17. The water collects in the lowermost portion of this channel and then flows into the reservoir 7, from where it is compelled by the pump 10 to describe anew the same cycle. On the tender is further provided a large main supply tank 18, from where the water is adapted to flow through an aperture 20 controlled by a float valve 19, into the small receptacle 7 as soon as the water level falls within the latter below a determinate height.

. a large portion of the space available inside the clearance gage and has throughout its entire length a large cross-sectional passage (area for the cooling air and means for forcing the cooling water required f face condenser into said re-cooling contrivance wherein it is caused to fall through said air channel in contact with the air.

2. A condensing plant for steam locomotives, comprising a surface condenser adaptedto condense the exhaust steam of the steam driven power engine of the locomotive and arranged at the front end of the latter, a re-cooling contrivance for the water required for the condensing arranged on a tender coupled to the locomotive and provided with an air channel in which a current of air is obtained in consequence of the traveling speed of the locomotive, and means for forcing the cooling water required for the condensing from the surface condenser into said rercooling contrivance where i is brought into contact with the air passing through said air channel and for feeding said re-cooled water from said contrivance back into the condenser. v

3. A condensing plant forcsteam locomotives, comprising a surface condenser adapted to condense the exhaust steam of the steam driven power engine of the locomotive and arranged at the front end of the latter, a water reservoir provided on the tender coupled to the locomotive and provided with an air channel in which a current of air can be obtained in consequence of the travcling speed of the locomotive, a pipe connecting said reservoir to the surface con denser, a pump adapted to force the water through said pipe from the reservoir into the surface condenser, a second pipe connecting the surface condenser to a second pump so that the latter can draw off water from the surface condenser, a tank provided the sur- -ing means from which the'water falls with a perforated bottom and arranged on the tender above its air-channel, and a pipe connecting thepump to said tank and adapted to supply the water drawn off from the surface condenser into said tank, the water being adapted to fall from said tank through theair channel into sain water reservoir provided on the tender, whereby it is cooled by the air flowing through said air channel.

4. In a condensing plant for locomotives,

a tender having a main tank, a small reservoir communicating therewith, an air channel open at its front and rear ends, means for spraying water in said channel for collection in said reservoir and water circulating means withdrawing water from said reservoir and for supplying said water to said spraying v means.

5. In a condensing plant for locomotives. a tender having a main tank, a small reservoir having'controlled communication with said tank, an air channel open at both ends the rear end being substantially horizontal, an upper reservoir above said channel included between the ends thereof and having sprinkler op en'in discharging into said ch annel, said channel having a discharge open,- ing to said small reservoir, and water circulating means to withoraw said water from said small reservoir and deliver it to said upper reservoir, I

6. The combination with a locomotive having a surface condenser thereon, of a locomotive tender having a main tank, a small reservoir in controlled communication with said tank, an air channel open at the front and rear, an upper reservoir on the top of" said channel arranged to sprinkle water into said channel, said channel discharging into said small reservoir, and pumping mechanism to pump water from said small reservoir to'said condenser, and to pump water from said condenser to said upper res-i ervoir.

7. A condensing plant for steam locomotives, comprising a surface. condenser for condensing the exhaust steam of the steam driven power engine of the locomotive and" arranged atthe front end of the latter, a

tender coupled to the locomotive and provided with an air channel extending longitudinally of the tender, the latter comprising water collecting means arranged below the air channel and water distributing means arranged above said channel, apipe connecting the condenser to the water distributing means, and pumping means to draw water from the collecting means arranged below the air channel of the tender and force it through said condenser into said distributin air contact through said channel.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name; i

. CONRAD KOHLER. 

